Right NEC candidate’s campaign rocked by bullying complaint by blind member

Tomorrow ballots will be sent out for the vital NEC (National Executive Committee) elections of nine ‘CLP’ (constituency Labour party) members to represent Labour’s huge membership on the party’s ruling body.

The left has a full slate of nine candidates and all Labour members who back the vision of Jeremy Corbyn for the party need to allocate all their nine votes to that slate, to ensure continued impetus in the transformation of the party into a democratic, member-led movement that will also transform the country.

The Labour right is backing its own candidates. One of them, Gurinder Singh Josan, is close to Labour First’s Luke Akehurst and John Spellar – and to Gerard Coyne.

Coyne is the former Unite leadership challenger who was dismissed from the union for breaching data laws and was judged by electoral officials to have done the same – a breach confirmed by the Information Commissioner – but who has nonetheless endlessly appealed consecutive judgments against his ‘unreasonable’ case, fuelled by ‘loads of cash‘ of uncertain origin, against his attempts to paint Unite general secretary Len McCluskey as doing it. Coyne also unsuccessfully went to the S*n ‘newspaper’ in his desperation to defeat McCluskey.

But Josan’s problems are not limited to his choice of allies. He is now the subject of a serious complaint concerning alleged bullying and abuse of a blind member during last week’s AGM (annual general meeting) of Warley CLP.

The complaint, of which the SKWAWKBOX has obtained a copy, has been sent to the Unite union that both the complainant and Josan represent – and also addresses issues around the delegate status of an employee of Warley MP John Spellar. It states:

After returning from the Warley Constituency Labour Party AGM yesterday evening, I have tried to sleep but it is now 2 AM and I can’t as I still feel very shaken, shocked and horrified at what I suffered at the hands of a fellow Unite member which is why I’m writing to you.

At the meeting, a question was raised in regards to how union delegates are sent to the CLP. _____________ (CLP Secretary and John Spellar MP employee) explained to delegates how he signs off delegates as the branch secretary of the Black Country Retired members branch (Unite). He also attends the CLP as a delegate from the Black Country retired Unite branch.

However, Gurinder Josan who is the Secretary of my branch 6090, proceeded to relentlessly verbally attack me telling me I have no right to question the union membership credentials of ___. Despite the fact Gurinder 20 minutes earlier was challenging the credentials of two other unite members.

His abuse towards me in front of 85 people made me feel extremely vulnerable, publicly humiliated, very uncomfortable, deeply saddened and under siege by Gurinder who would not stop his attacks against me until the Chair forced him to resume his seat.

Additionally, to my utter dismay, Gurinder earlier in the meeting rose to accuse Unite’s Regional Officers of and I quote: “incompetence or political machination, I don’t know which, I’m happy to go on the record.”

In light of the above, I would seek your clarification on whether a person employed full-time is permitted to be a member of the Retired branch in our union?

Regardless of the eligibility of ____________ to be a member of the Retired Members branch, I kindly request the union to take immediate action against Gurinder for the highly abusive, offensive and disgraceful way in which he attacked me this evening witnessed by all delegates present which has shattered my self-confidence and left me extremely distraught.

Would you kindly also forward this email to Howard Beckett – Acting West Midlands Regional Secretary as I do not have an email address for him.

Thanking you in anticipation of your urgent assistance in this regard.

The SKWAWKBOX has spoken to other attendees at the AGM, who corroborated the complainant’s account, and contacted Mr Josan for his comment or version of events, but he had not responded by the time of publication.

The matter cannot be considered proven or disproven until Unite’s complaints process is completed, but the allegations are unlikely to do much to enhance Mr Josan’s prospects when voting opens tomorrow.

The SKWAWKBOX needs your support. This blog is provided free of charge but depends on the generosity of its readers to be viable. If you can afford to, please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal. Thanks for your solidarity so this blog can keep bringing you information the Establishment would prefer you not to know about.

If you wish to reblog this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.

I realise it’s not easy to keep up now that there are 9 candidates to vote for but did you mean to omit Ann Henderson from your list of who you’re voting for? (like I say – easy to make an honest mistake now there are nine, which hopefully won’t affect the outcome).

I’ve copied first two paragraphs of this article to post in various (Corbyn supporting) fb groups as a reminder for L.P. members (and because I have memory problems). I should have asked first really, hope it’s ok.

As I’ve said before, whenever interacting with LP right-wingers, whether at meetings or whatever, people should always remember to record the event just in case, then IF something untoward DOES happen (or NOT, but is claimed that it DID), then one has incontrovertible proof that it did (or didn’t!).